My 8 year old son killed his first turkey Sunday during IN. youth season. 20 pounds 10inch beard and 17 mm spurs. We hunted hard Saturday, I walked him over 2 miles trying to get a tom to answer us and by 11 o'clock he was over turkey hunting. So i set up a pop up blind and we ate some bologna sandwiches and drank a coke and made some soft calls. Around 1215 I left him in the blind with his mom, I went just a little ways to glass a long field.
At the other end there were 3 birds so I went and got him and cut the distance a little and at 10 till 1(can only hunt till 1 on FWA) the tom answered. A couple more calls and the bird was coming. When he was 50 yards out he seen my son move and left but not before my son had forgot about all the walking and was hooked on turkey hunting! That was 4 minutes till 1.
Sunday morning we started out in that spot, The tom was gobbling on the roost but ended up coming in to 44 yards straight behind us. So we moved east to a ridge that was about 1/4 mile from where we were, as soon as we got there I heard a couple toms farther east and in to the wind. Being as the wind was in my face I wasn't sure how far the birds where but I knew it was a ways. After walking a good distance (1.5 miles from the truck)I gave a couple yelps and they answered from about 200 yards! I quickly and quietly as I could cleared out a spot for us to set. My back was against the tree and had my son setting between my legs leaning against my chest so I could whisper him directions and I was basically seeing what he was seeing. A couple more calls on the slate and the birds where coming fast. I seen them coming from our left through a thick stand of pines, when they dropped in a depression I moved my sons shooting stick to his left side and quickly got him set. About as quick as he seen them at 31 yards they seen him move his head and started putting. I was whispering " put it on one of there heads and squeeze the trigger" after what seemed like fore ever and in reality was every bit of 30 seconds(way longer than I thought he had before the toms would leave) The little 20 ga. sounded off and the his tom was laying flat on the ground. My wife was only 5 yards behind us and got to witness it all!
Sorry for the long read but words cant describe how proud,excited and happy I am. And no I didn't make them hike all the way back to the truck, I let them relax next to a nearby road while I made the trip back to get the truck.
At the other end there were 3 birds so I went and got him and cut the distance a little and at 10 till 1(can only hunt till 1 on FWA) the tom answered. A couple more calls and the bird was coming. When he was 50 yards out he seen my son move and left but not before my son had forgot about all the walking and was hooked on turkey hunting! That was 4 minutes till 1.
Sunday morning we started out in that spot, The tom was gobbling on the roost but ended up coming in to 44 yards straight behind us. So we moved east to a ridge that was about 1/4 mile from where we were, as soon as we got there I heard a couple toms farther east and in to the wind. Being as the wind was in my face I wasn't sure how far the birds where but I knew it was a ways. After walking a good distance (1.5 miles from the truck)I gave a couple yelps and they answered from about 200 yards! I quickly and quietly as I could cleared out a spot for us to set. My back was against the tree and had my son setting between my legs leaning against my chest so I could whisper him directions and I was basically seeing what he was seeing. A couple more calls on the slate and the birds where coming fast. I seen them coming from our left through a thick stand of pines, when they dropped in a depression I moved my sons shooting stick to his left side and quickly got him set. About as quick as he seen them at 31 yards they seen him move his head and started putting. I was whispering " put it on one of there heads and squeeze the trigger" after what seemed like fore ever and in reality was every bit of 30 seconds(way longer than I thought he had before the toms would leave) The little 20 ga. sounded off and the his tom was laying flat on the ground. My wife was only 5 yards behind us and got to witness it all!
Sorry for the long read but words cant describe how proud,excited and happy I am. And no I didn't make them hike all the way back to the truck, I let them relax next to a nearby road while I made the trip back to get the truck.
